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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Biomedical Sciences Talk

Here's an event for students who are interested in pursuing biomedical sciences:

There will be a meet-up session with Chau Deming, a graduate student from Cornell University. He would like to share his experiences in research in the biomedical sciences with students who hold the same interests.

Chau Deming was a former student at INTI College and transferred to the University of Wisconsin, Madison before he started pursuing his PhD in biomedical science in Cornell University, Ithaca in 2004.

He has researched on cancer research utilizing biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and immunology technique and specifically, the elucidation of the function of gamma-secretase in cancer development.

He has worked in three different labs during college, first in the immunology department, followed by the food science department, and finally in the pharmaceutical science department.

the fact that he did his undergraduate degree and PhD in america says a lot bout the biomedical sciences and biotechnology situation here in msia. perhaps we should ask him in 10-20 years from now, where'd he see himself, as in, geographically.

Before he give the talk on biomedical sciences here, he should do research on the following:1 What are the local universities offering the courses in biomedical sciences?2 What are the syllabuses as given by the proforma of the courses in local universities3 The academic and suitability of the academic staff teaching the biomedical sciences?4 How much of the course are linked to actual medical sciences and applications and its suitability in hospitals5 What are their practicals and laboratory contents?6 Who are the international external examiners or assessors to validify the courses of up to international standards7 What are the breakdown of occupations taken by the biomedical graduates?

This is deming, the person who will be speaking at the event tomorrow. Please allow me to respond to some of your comments.

anonymous #1: Please check out http://www.carif.com.my/ i met some of the scientists there, and i have to say that they are doing great science, lead by highly qualified leaders with focus mission. Also, we have many local government research institutes doing great science (i know this comment will spur many debates). But the point is ---- Jobs are available, it all depends on what you want to do.

anoymous 2: It is foolish for me to predict where i will be 'geographically' in 20 years. Can you predict for yourself? I can't even predict where i will be 2 years from now. The fact that i completed most of my higher education in USA, does not mean that i will stay PERMANANTLY in another country. It all depends on (back to my first comment) what i want to do. To be honest with all of you reading this post, i have NO SPECIFIC career goal as to what i want to do (at this moment) but i know my strengths and i know what will be good for me. That is what education essentially is - you discover what you like or dislike in this process.

biomedical grad turns salesman:Thank you for your suggestion. I am sorry to say that i do not have a single answer to any of your question. I do not have the resource to answer them. Those are great questions. The goal of the event tomorrow is to educate the students about "medical sciences", therefore by answering those questions you have suggested does not help a person to determine if they should or should not pursue a career in science.

it is my pleasure to respond to all the comments and i welcome future discussions. If you wish to contact me, please ask one of the DECC (http://www.descartes.com.my/) members for my email address.

1) UM, UKM and UPM (that’s in year 2000, not sure about the current status). I think IMU will start offering Biomedical Sciences degree as well.

2) To name a few, the courses taught in Biomedical Sciences degree include, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, parasitology, microbiology and etc. It covered all the basic medical sciences. In a way, it is equivalent to the courses taught in the pre-clinical year in a medical degree with emphasis more towards the science of human body and diseases.

3) The academic staffs are mainly scientists and may be a few clinician. As I mentioned before, biomedical sciences degree is a science degree. It emphasize more on the science than the practice of medicine. With these basic knowledge, it will enable the graduate to understand deeply how the body works. Unlike medical doctors which emphasize more on diagnosis and treatment, the biomedical scientist focus more on the basis of diseases and finding new way to treat new diseases (i.e. research). In another word, a biomedical scientist might know more about biological pathways that causes cancer than a medical doctor.

4) Refer to 2. A biomedical graduate should be able to perform and interpret any basic laboratory diagnosis and testing in the hospital setting. Some basic diagnostic test which is taught in the university include, simple blood test (serotyping, RBC count, WBC count and etc), urine test, microbiology test (i.e. bacterial and virus, HIV, HepB and etc), biochemical testing (i.e. cholesterol, blood glucose level, and etc). These are all simple tests that a biomedic grad should be able to perform. These tests are common in any hospital and diagnostic lab (i.e. BP, pathlab and etc).

5) The biomedical degree sciences being a general science degree do not have any accreditation/professional body. In Malaysia, any science graduate (i.e. biology, biotechnology or even chmistry graduate) is eligible to run the tests stated above. In some cases, I’ve seen high school leavers running the test. There are no regulation stating that the technician who run the test must be of biomedical grad (this is true until year 2000, I’m not sure what is the current status now). In US and UK, however, personnel that run the diagnostic test must have a diploma/certificate.

6) UPM used to be the only university that is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, UK for their biomedic degree. Not sure whether they are still being accredited.

7) In term of job prospect, a biomedic grad can go into any sector of industries, be it in science, banking, commercial and etc. Some of the most popular job choices for biomedic are sales representative, medical lab technologist (MLT) and further study to PhD. In my year (2000), there are about equal no. of graduate went to each of those sectors. The highest demand and offer were sales representative. Some of those who worked in the hospital or diagnostic lab had been promoted to lab manager by now. Those who further their studies had finished the MSc or PhD and are either working overseas as researchers or working locally as lecturers. I can only tell from my experience. But one thing for sure is that, if you’re interested in human biology and sciences, biomedical sciences is your choice. The health care industry, drug companies and medical research institution seems to prefer biomedic graduate than other biological base graduate (don’t quote me for that, it’s just based on my personal observation, no static or what so ever to support this argument) as the biomedic graduate know better about human body and how diseases works. Some hot biomedical research going on around the world now are finding a cure for cancer, Alzheimer, diabetes and etc.

Slightly out of the topic, in cancer research (which is my specialty), other part of the world are now working on rational drug design and targeted therapy. New drug are being discovered almost in a daily basis to treat various diseases. In Malaysia, we’re still working on our natural products screening. This 1970s approach has been abandoned for so long now as not any pharmaceutical company is doing this nowadays. Why ? because the technology has advanced so much over the years that we now have a better sense of targeting different pathways to treat diseases rather than doing a random screen which is equivalent to finding a needle in the ocean. And yet, our focus and a big fraction of research grants are being allocated for those natural products screening. Ask how many compounds of those are coming through the pipelines ? None….. Any publication from those research ? Zero….. If this is not waste of money, I don’t know what is. Sad….

I suggest Descartes network a bit more in the industry and get some experience people giving the talk, rather than some PhD students who are not even ABD. Nothing personal against PhD students, except that I once was and looking back, I think I was just so naive at that time. For example, suggesting being a lecturer/academic/research as a career path is often what a PhD student would do, until this student starts to actually look for an academic position and realise that umm, reality sucks. Google the web and there are lots of discussion about the biomedical field, etc. I would always suggest when in doubt, do a 'proper' degree, e.g. chemistry, physics, core engineering. The opportunities are much wider with these subjects.

As one who is in the know (working in academia), I have to be very frank when it comes to discussions like these. The way of the industralized future lies with 3rd world countries possessing a large population - preferably, English-speaking. You would very worried about the future if you only appreciated the growing magnitude and depth of privately/corporate-funded research ranging from anything to do with info tech down to biotech being shifted to these cheap-labor countries at the moment. For the price of 1 PhD researcher from a developed nation, a troupe of 4 (e.g. Indian) PhD researchers could be employed. Nay-sayers tend to claim that research quality would suffer but unfortunately, the contrary has been indicated esp when supervised by a veteran researcher from the 1st world.

Needless to say, local research grants are getting smaller and more competitive as the powers-that-be realize the obvious cost-advantage of cheap professional labor.

The bottomline is that a Science (esp biomed/biotech) degree really qualifies one as a glorified, certified "test-tube washer" with very limited job options. Even the time-honored "academic" route where one has to spend an additional 4-6 long years attaining post-grad qualifications, is no longer a safe bet to a stable Science career these days. If you Google, you will find many forums echoing the same sentiment on being qualified up to the gills yet finding a long-term Science career increasing elusive. To compound the problem, there appears to be an oversupply of (Life/Medical/Biotech) Science graduates and not enough jobs for them.

Obviously, this makes the academic route, which itself has lots of status-quo and politicking problems, much harder. Many aspirants end up stuck as sessional (not tenured) lab-technicians, tutors and teaching assistants indefinitely, earning only a bit more than a supermarket cashier.

If you are going to study Science, make sure it is merely a stepping stone to do a health professional course, don't let it be your destination!

i am probably asking for trouble jumping into a topic like this, but as a biomedical scientist/engineer myself, i feel like i have to say something to support biomed (an area i LOVE) :p

firstly i think people who want to work in science should have a passion for it. maybe i'm naive but i believe that if a person has passion (and of course some skill), then he is not limited to what the country has. i have met many scientists who did not end up where they are the easy way, but are now doing well with their own groups. no one says research is easy, but if you enjoy what you do, then it's not work is it?

i started off in engineering, hated it then, (but not anymore) and i guess it was really a blessing in diguise. i now study biomedical engineering in europe, which does not cost a lot of money, and am working at a pharmaceutical company doing research on diagnostics. i often have conversations with a few of my supervisors/managers in my department (on the train home, over lunch) and the consensus is: there are lots of jobs in biomed and in engineering. these guys also have phds (in biochemistry, physics, not necessarily engineering) and while they found their phds a struggle, they still recommend i do it (if i'm interested in staying in research and not flying off into consulting or whatever else). they also give me advice on making sure i have the right phd project (from an industrial point of view).

and why should chemistry or physics be more "proper" than biomed? (what about biology? or biochemistry?) maybe what you were trying to say is, stick to the natural sciences while doing your first degree? i agree on that... but on the other hand, these days it's all about interdisciplinary training and if you ONLY know biology or only know physics, then that might be a disadvantage.

and also to add, one doesnt need to have a degree in "biomedical science" in order to work in the biomedical field. you can come from anywhere: material science, electrical engineering, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science... anything! it is such a wide field that there will be something for everyone. i think the point of deming's talk was just to give students an idea of the sort of research he does, and how many malaysians sacrifice their short break home to talk to others?? by gaining some idea of what kinds of research take place in biomedical science, students can then think (and start reading) about their respective interests.

academia, like every other job, has fewer top positions than 'normal' positions. like every other job, only the best will rise up. you need networking. like every other job, there is politics. the one thing that is more difficult is that an advanced degree is not going to help you because everyone else has one! your career will not fall into your lap and you have to work hard and be resourceful.

i'm not brushing off the idea of ending up in india or australia or south africa or some other part of europe, wherever the job is. like deming, i also don't know where i'm going to end up in 5,10,20 years, mainly because there are so many wonderful options that i just can't choose yet! (and life is so full of surprises) so i'm just going to cross the bridge when i get there and plan a little along the way for fun.

again, the older ones will tell me i'm being unrealistic, and maybe downright stupid for dreaming, but i've dared to dream before and dared to look/hunt and it's taken me to different destinations. i may not earn as much as my friends in banking in the future, but i can probably stand and say "i love my job!".

p/s: funnily enough, i've been meeting more and more malaysians (and non-malaysians) who are not only interested in science/research, but also in education and teaching. i don't know why these two areas seem to come together, but i would like to put it down to a love of knowledge. so it's not wrong to suggest the academic/teaching route. if one day i find myself completely out of a job, with no university wanting my research, then i'll teach form 2 kids. i think it's just as satisfying.

It takes more than a degree just to be a consultant. You need advance degrees esp PhD and many years of experience especially in industries. Of course there is no law telling you that you cant even be a \'CONSULTANT' even after you have just graduated with a preliminary degree and with no experience.

Before they said a consultant is a specialist and someone whom you referred as an expert, now a consultant is a person without a proper job...on ad hoc basis....

Sorry i meant consulting as in management consulting (since mckinsey hires strongly here from my uni). not just consulting lah, but even other areas like finance. many of my engineer classmates have moved into banking and consulting. i have been tempted once, but it was only a phase :p

and these days they hire bachelors students to become consultants. first as a trainee, and you learn on the job. as for engineering consultancies, i don't have friends there yet.

not all phd graduates become salesmen. the biomedical world is developing rapidly with many new technologies and they need people to help develop them!

the next time you go for your cholesterol/virus/white blood cell test, think about how much effort went into creating the testing instruments. if god-forbid you ever need a hip or knee implant, thank the engineers and scientists who worked hard to help you walk again. cancer checks, brain scans, heart pacemakers, ultrasound to see your new baby..

the list is endless but i'm sure you will come across one of them during your life. and you can bet that they need people with a high level of education and broad way of thinking in order to come up with all these products, from start to finish.

yes, running the instruments might not need a high skill level. this is because all automation has been taken care of by the scientists and engineers who developed these products. for example, in new projects, they also have to consider which skills can be carried out by untrained people (such as the patient). legally, something as simple as pipetting might not be allowed, as small errors may give false negatives or positives. so this will either have to be carried out at a hospital, or the engineers have to think of an on-chip volume measuring device.

hospitals and laboratories do not need PhD holders. the companies who create the instruments do. and with the range of biomedical products that are required to run a hospital, laboratory, university or on-patient-system, i think there can be opportunities out there for people who are interested in working in this field.

perhaps there are not enough of these companies in malaysia. hopefully one day there will be. if we have a high level of skill in the country, then opportunities may open up. singapore is one example. perhaps when they become saturated over there, malaysia could be the next option.

sorry, one more thing to add to the disgruntled scientists-turned-salesmen. sales jobs are probably more common than science jobs, and the pay is much better. if this is the reason that you chose this line, then that is fair enough.

my father graduated as a pharmacist from a local uni with only a 2.2 degree. for his govt service, he delivered drugs to orang asli villages. then he became a salesman with a pharmaceutical firm. he did this for a few years, and then started his own chemical trading company in a small scale. today he has his own animal pharmaceutical manufacturing company. today he is still in contact with people from his old company. did he tell his daughter not to bother with pharmacy because his first job was in sales? in fact, he has said to me that if i want to work with him permanently, he would insist that i also join the sales and marketing team because that is the backbone of the business.

so instead of sitting around telling others that there is no future with the degree you studied, maybe you should start thinking about how to use the opportunities you have or how some further study can help you achieve your goals (maybe to move into higher positions in the marketing or management department, nothing wrong with that as all good science-based companies need an even stronger team in business management or else there will be no money to do the science!)

there will always be pessimists and optimists around. i hope students can take the former's advice as warning and the latter's to build their own goals.

i think why biomedical science is not popular in malaysia is bcoz of the the people here tend to look down on it.the job in my opinion would be in a team so as long as it's science-related,a biomedical science grad can fit in.

i've once been in singapore and i saw the scientists there are more appreciated compared to malaysia. correct me if i'm wrong. =)

i came to realise about this blog quite recently. i am currently a year 2 biomedical science student of UKM. well frankly speaking, i am not too happy when i was offered this course, in fact it was my seventh choice. cry the hell out of myself. anyway i just wanna ask whether the syllabus offered by the local universities of malaysia in this field does really meet the current market and jobs available in malaysia?

i got chance to speak to one of my seniors the other day who just finished his Industrial training somewhere in cheras. i was shocked when he told me that a senior officer in a lab ask him to do some simple paperwork and observe the lab workers doing tests. when asked about whether he could try to do something else better, this is what he gets," u people (biomed students) are not good enough. biomedical science is not a good course at all and the only chance u can work in is doing simple paperwork in the lab. nothing more. so if u can go somewhere, pay a little money and get yourself a better course..."

this definitely kills my spirits off even until now. first off all, scoring good result in STPM had put me dreaming of a Medical degree but when things turn out to be quite out of what you are expecting, biomedic can be considered a "not-bad" course. but with the lab officer's comment, GOSH!!!!!!

now i am worried of my future. earlier the demming's comment asking what we want to do is the most important question we can ask ourself is we want to go far after our graduation. but i am asking myself now.... what can i do exactly when i graduated because seriously i loose hope in the higher education system of malaysia!!!!!

I myself am a 3rd year biomedical science student in IIUM Kuantan campus, and instead of joining the debate/discussion, I am actually here looking for some help.

In about 6 months, I will be undergoing my industrial training/internship/practical training, and I have to find a place to do it. Googling didn't really help, a lot of biotechnology-related results came out. So I was wondering if anyone here could help me out and recommend an institute or company which accepts students for internships. Preferably in or near the Selangor/KL area. And not a hospital, I'm looking for research institutes if possible.

Any help will be much appreciated =)

P:S; I've been studying biomedical science for a while now, and I haven't regretted choosing this course one bit.

i have just finished australian matriculation (AUSMAT) and i intend to take biomedical science degree in IMU.

i saw Big Buggy was saying about the senior officer's comment about biomedical students. it is heart-breaking to listen to such comment. i heard from my friend that she has a relative who studied this course and ends up with delivering blood samples from one place to another!! it is so frustrating :(

i really want to work in lab to do tests on body fluid (eg. blood sample, urine). if biomedical science is not the way to reach my destination, then what is?? does anyone have ideas? then how about the current lab workers' qualifications? are they having a cert related to biomedical science?

pls tell me if anyone knows how to be a lab worker (not doing paper work but really conducting tests)...TQ

tiffany, if you want to work in a lab, you really need to do more research and know your area. What Im writing is what happens in the uk, but it is probably similar else where.

Doing a biomed degree can get you working in a pathology lab, where you can specialise - such as in haematology or any other department. In the UK you need a HPC recognised biomed degree, then you get a trainee position within a lab and complete a professional training portfolio (takes about a year). After that you are a qualified biomedical scientist.

I really recommend thinking carefully about this career path - contact a local hospital tell them your interested in working as a biomed within your chosen department and get a tour. Im not sure if it's the same where you are, but a lab career as a biomed scientist is *extremely* competitive.

I went to this interview for the hospital laboratory technician. apparently they prefer diploma holder...probably is cheaper i guess. i am now looking out into medical industries but they require at least a year or 2 of working experience. fustrating ! i do not regret taking biomedical science but on the other hand i guess things would be different if i have done medicine. at least i won't to JOBLESS !!

Realy sad,some of you maybe don't know what is career prospect after you finish your biomedicine.most of the government hospital doesn't employed biomed graduate because the job skim for MLT just as supporting staff so degree qualification is not eligible but not in private sector.Many friend of mine now doing the project for university lecturer as RA but the payment is not very good..So sad but this is the reality when u start working..malaysia now just need MBBS,BDS or Pharmacy..or job that we dont like it but this job market is v hot "NURSING"..

hi..some comments gave me hope to pursue my biomedical science bachelor Degree but some really makes me lose hope esp the non-challenging work in lab given to t biomed graduates in hospital..i like human biology n science n i like this course..i am going to be a Year 2 student taking Biomedical Science in UKM..even though most ppl will think tat Medicine or Pharmacy are more preferable than Biomedical Science..but i still prefer biomed more due to my interest on research..i had an ambition tat once i graduate from this course, i will further my studies in t same line n be actively involved in researches as a biomedical scientist especially researches on t cure for cancer..i wan to be a part of this..this ambition is wat keeps me not giving up on this course despite some negative comments i heard about biomed..i know some day biomed will be more preferable like pharmacy n medicine as long as we biomedical science students have faith n passion on this course..we always hear negative as well as positive comments bout everything..y not we just choose t positive comments as motivator..we have a choice to be pessimistic n end up a science loser or be optimistic n make this course a well-known course in malysia..why not choose t latter!?yeah..this is t way i motivate my self.."hot biomedical research+finding cure for cancer n other disease"== this statement is my aim for now n through Biomedical Science course i hope i can achieve my ambition, can i??..god bless~even though saying is easier action, and i only took this course for a year..but i must have faith n never give up~~

it's great to see that there are some of you out there interested in biomedical research. unfortunately it's hard for me to give any advice regarding research in malaysia. i don't understand it well enough, and honestly, i don't think it's good enough.

My parents wanted me to do pharmacy or medicine, being Malaysian and all. These days I think they've realised it's a little too late :p

My advice to hopeful researchers is: Get a PhD. That's the *only* way you can continue in academia. Without a PhD, you will only be a lab technician. You may be able to carry out some research as a lab tech, but you'll never lead your own group and choose your own research.

Being in research is not easy. The pay is generally low in academia (some countries pay more than others but in general you're still getting way less than your friend who went into industry....). The competition for academic positions is extremely high. Only the best get through the system. In malaysia (and many other countries) there is also politics to deal with.

I wrote my first comments here almost 2 years ago (9/2007, chia). Since then, i've of course finished my internship in diagnostics development, and have actually gone on to start a PhD in cell division (biology/microscopy/programming). Like Deming, I'm now also in the so-called "cancer-related research" category. (Never thought i'd ever move into this!)

Still sure want to do research? Then do your absolute best in your Bachelors and Masters degrees in Malaysia. Get as much lab research experience as you can, not just the compulsory time of your degree but even as a part time job. Score well in your exams so you have something to show on paper. Search for internship opportunities in research institutes, Singapore has many and their smaller unis will also have positions, not just at A*Star/NUS. Hone your English, and find out what sort of research you can and want to do.

Then with all this, search for PhD positions overseas. Many are paid. All PhD students are paid in Switzerland. Ditto for many other European countries. If your grades are not good enough for the top universities, look for less competitive places... if they're paid it's still better than being in Malaysia. Look for scholarships from the DAAD (German education center).

If anyone is at the stage of searching for a Masters/PhD in science/engineering at the moment, drop me an email. I would be more than happy to tell you what i know!

Hi, im currently a diploma holder in biotechnology but would like to persue a degree in biomedical science or biomedicine. i have a great interest in human biology and wish to be a sucessful researcher in the future. Looking at all the posts i had a mixture of happy and sad thoughts of my pathway. nevertheless i still want to go ahead and take it up to phd with gods grace. Hope to find good prospects in the overseas, cuz in mlys. its still no that demanding for biomed scholars to work here...

sis Chia,thanx 4 all of ur posiive comments.i used to be the one that looks down on biomed course bcoz the situation in Malaysia.Dr/dentist n pharmacist are the most respected careers here.when i have 2 choose to pursue my study either in biotech or biomed,at first i was really sad.but, when i got know that foreign countries (esp in Europe)they respects these courses so much,i have gained courage 2 furher my studies in either these courses.may i ask u some favor?? may u give comparisons between biotech n biomed??bcoz i'm still confuse which 1 is the bet 4 me?tq

Gaaralee, don't be discouraged! You are already in the course so try to make the most of it. Career choices don't stop at your bachelors degree but will evolve according to the work experience you gather (so get as much as possible!) Biomedical science vs. Biotechnology. This is a hard question because i studied biomedical engineering and therefore dont have first hand experience of either course. Secondly, it mostly depends on the university. Often, the basic classes offered might be the same for both courses, but it's up to the uni to choose what they call it! So take a look at the course catalogue, find out what classes are being offered.My gut feeling when I hear biotechnology is manipulation of cells (bacteria/mammalian) to get them to do what you (or industry) want(s). E.Coli that produces insulin is a classic classroom example... Or sewage-cleaning bacteria? I'm sure this is only a small section of biotech. Biomedical science, to me, is more human or clinical/pharma. But my guess is you'll have almost the same courses as biotech, perhaps with a bit more of human physiology or anatomy. Anyone reading here who has done one of these courses? Please do post about your course experience!

I'm fresh out of school, and i'm,completely ignorant about the developments in biomedical studies. i,ve always assumed this could be a lucrative field but figured out that it could be a risky one.Perhaps it is better off to do it as a second degree.My questions:#Could opting to teach in this field be the safest thing to do?#could i walk in to biomed related jobs with a degree majoring in biology/chemistry?#Can i move in to research with degree/master or does it require a Phd??

i'm currently searching for the right course for me to further my study. i'd just finished my spm n confused which course is suitable for me.. i'm interested in either biotech or biomedic. but i prefer something to do with plants.. anyone can help me??

Well.... i dont really know what to ask and but i'll juz go on ahead and shoot some and hope for some GOOD TRUTHFUL answers.....

I just finished SPM and i for one love the BIOLOGY subject especially the HUMAN ANATOMY and it came to mind that my 1st thing i'd wanna do was medicine.... but my parents said it would just take too long....

Den i searched biomed.... and after reading all the comments(not only here) .... im still having doubts of taking biomed.....

I would really wanna know the statistics about the job and the actual NUMBER of the salary.... in places such as MALAYSIA , SG or US......

I would also like to be enlightened on sports science .... and why my parents urge me to do finance.... and how come doing all thing related to accounts/business/fianance etc can earn more than science related jobs.....

hello everyone..i will graduate from foundation course this April 2011 but im not really confident that I'll have outstanding result.. I juz want some advice on what course should i choose?I like research on biology-related subject but I also like courses like Linguistic and language..i know it may sound weird but I do like both.. my English is quite good but my math are not..im currently studying "sains hayat"

hey (anonymous) which uni is that... i aso heard it from msu college but however i dun think it is easy. there are rules and regulation that we need to follow which i'm not very sure.....please give me some advice bout this...thank you :)

hye... after reading all the comments, i will have to think twice in pursuing biomed for my degree,, i also applied pharmacy and dietician, and really hope i wont get biomed now.i just dont know what else to apply, i dont really like physis and maths is never my strong subject :(

same here with "lost", i am just register the biomedical course in UTAR, and i am wandering if i need to switch to English Language course before the date od commencement which is 9th October 2011(the orientation)

i know it is weird one side is Science and other is English, but i adore english more than Science.

maybe i should say like this, i will adore science if i can always conducting lab, experiment during my primary, secondary study so that it will exposed us the process, the progress, so that we will realive our real inner interest. As before STPM, i like biology so much, coz it is study about human, plant, animal, bioecosystem, like it is a subject to save our mother earth from pollution. But for know, i am really confused like many of you

Hi.., I graduated from biomedicine course in 2004. Immediately, I got a job as research officer until now 2012 just based on my degree. After a while doing research, I feel that it is not my passion. Doing research has a lot of ups and down. At first, I really lurve doing my job in lab, but now i need a break from lab. It is not an easy task to be a scientist. Be a scientist means u have to sacrifice a lot of time in the lab. I never regret taking a biomedical science course as my degree, but for now I will leave my job and pursue my study in psychology. I simply lurve meeting people. As long as u love doing ur job, everything will be fine!! Even if u r a salesman, if u lurve what ur doing u r not going to suffer for the rest of ur life

Frankly speaking, graduated with BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science regardless of graduated from local or overseas, not much of goodies/benefit if you work in Malaysia. Unless you have the brain and some specialty on yourself. Then will consider to promote you to higher position. Otherwise, overseas offered better salary and benefit. I just can say, Malaysia don't appreciate Biomedical Scientist/MLT/MLS.